Five Kansas City Chiefs players who deserve an apology
By Scott Loring
Tanoh Kpassagnon
When Tanoh Kpassagnon was taken by the Chiefs in the second round of the 2017 draft, the defensive end from Villanova was mostly an unknown commodity. His raw tools and lanky 6’7″ 290-lb. frame had Kansas City fans salivating over his potential.
But Kpassagnon floundered under Sutton. Positioned as a 3-4 outside linebacker in a two-point stance, he failed to produce in a reserve role. When the team acquired defensive ends Clark, Alex Okafor, and Emmanuel Ogbah last spring, it looked like it might spell the end for Kpassagnon in Kansas City. He spent all of preseason on the roster bubble.
But then we began to see something.
Spagnuolo began rotating Kpassagnon from end down inside to defensive tackle in nickel packages. He made the 53-man roster as the team’s fourth defensive end. With his hand in the dirt and a fresh outlook on his role, Kpassagnon flourished in 2019, tripling his career sack total while racking up 11 quarterback hits and 16 pressures. He was the only Kansas City defensive end to play all 16 games in 2019, and has a golden opportunity to let the rest of the NFL know his name on the game’s biggest stage.
Surprisingly, Kpassagnon and quarterback Patrick Mahomes are the only remaining players on the roster from the 2017 draft. With a standout performance in the Super Bowl, Kpassagnon could enter into his 2020 contract year with a lot of momentum as one of the team’s bright young stars. Once an afterthought on this year’s roster, “Kpass” enters the team’s biggest game with a big role.